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West Nile virus detection in urine
Jessica H Tonry1, Craig B Brown, Cecil B Cropp
1Asia Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816, USA. jtonry@rocketmail.com
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|August 17, 2005
Summary
West Nile virus (WNV) RNA was detected in patient urine 8 days post-symptom onset using RT-PCR. This finding suggests urinary shedding of WNV may occur during encephalitis.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that can cause neuroinvasive disease, including encephalitis.
- Diagnosis of WNV infection typically relies on serological testing and detection of viral RNA in blood or cerebrospinal fluid.
Observation:
- Viral RNA, specifically West Nile virus RNA, was identified in urine samples.
- The urine sample was collected from a patient diagnosed with encephalitis.
- Detection occurred 8 days after the initial onset of symptoms.
Findings:
- Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed the presence of WNV RNA in the patient's urine.
- Sequence and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated >99% similarity to the WNV strain NY 2000-crow3356, confirming the viral identity.
Implications:
- This case suggests that WNV RNA can be present in urine during the course of WNV encephalitis.
- Urinary detection of WNV RNA may offer an alternative diagnostic sample type.
- Further research is warranted to understand the extent and duration of WNV shedding in urine.